A mobile augmented reality system to conduct electrical machines laboratory for undergraduate engineering students during the COVID pandemic

This paper reported an AR based teaching method adopted during the movement control period for undergraduate engineering students to perform electrical machine laboratory. In this work, Unity 3D development platform and Vuforia Engine software development kit are applied to create the AR system. The content of the practical component is projected onto the mobile display mimicking the actual machine setup from the physical laboratory in real life. Investigation of the effectiveness of the AR tools on delivering the coursework component has been conducted and evaluated accordingly. The suitability of the proposed AR system is gauged based on the motivation and learning experience of the students using the technology to complete their laboratory. Based on the results, the AR tools are able to stimulate the motivation of students and the laboratory work can be performed smoothly without any issue. In cases where machines are malfunction or students are prohibited to travel from home, the proposed AR system could serve as an alternative tool to ensure the syllabus is delivered on-time. Overall, majority of the participants are able to comprehend and relate the experiment conducted in the AR system to the actual equipment located in the physical laboratory. The students are comfortable to the use of AR and able to complete the laboratory using the proposed system. Based on the outcome, it can be concluded that the mobile AR system is suitable as an alternative tool to conduct the electrical machine laboratory at home.